Seven Conservatory Singers Win Awards at State NATS Auditions By Charity Johnson ’99
			PHOTO CREDIT: AL FUCHS Scott Skiba ‘03, pictured here, portrayed Eisenstein in the fall Oberlin Opera Theater production of Johann Strauss Jr.’s Die Fledermaus. Karen Jesse and Marie Masters were also first prize winners. Seven Conservatory vocalists were chosen as winners in four divisions at the 2002 National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) Ohio chapter state auditions, held April 6, at Capital University in Columbus, Ohio: - Scott Skiba, a fourth-year double-degree student from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, placed first in the Senior Men’s division. - Karen Jesse of Prairie View, Illinois, and Emily Goddard of Montevideo, Minnesota, placed first and second in the Sophomore Women’s division. - Marie Masters of Fairlawn, Ohio; Meagan Brus of Iowa City, Iowa; and Megan Radder of Brookfield, Wisconsin, placed first, second, and third, respectively, in the Freshman Women’s division. - Nathan Arcos of Granbury, Texas, placed first in the Freshman Men’s division. All seven singers study with Professor of Singing Daune Mahy. Sophomore Meghan Hodges, of Lexington, Kentucky, and junior Elena Loskova of Russia accompanied the vocalists. Hodges studies with Professor of Piano Sedmara Rutstein, and Loskova studies with Professor of Piano Monique Duphil. Each year, NATS chapters and regions host student auditions. The auditions begin with a preliminary round; finalists then perform again and winners are chosen for each category. NATS is the largest association of teachers of singing in the world, with more than 5,000 members located in the U.S., Canada, and more than 25 other countries. NATS' programs include voice competitions, composition awards, meetings and conventions, workshops and clinics, recitals, master classes, and intern programs. NATS also publishes the periodical Journal of Singing. For more information on the organization, visit www.nats.org.
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